Overview
- Yuki Yamaguchi, a 31-year-old temporary worker from Tsuchiura, was arrested on Jan. 14 on suspicion of abandoning responsibility for protection after his son died in Kasumigaura, Ibaraki Prefecture.
- Investigators say the boy suffocated after falling headfirst into a washing machine in April 2025.
- Police believe the child was left in the machine for about 20 minutes between 10:00 and 10:20 a.m. on April 27, 2025.
- An emergency call was made around 10:29 a.m. reporting the child was not breathing.
- Reports note the mother was at work and the machine, which was not operating, had been placed in the child’s room for disposal, and the investigation continues.